Every woman’s pregnancy journey, from conception to delivery, is filled with excitement and plans for the newborn, but accompanying the joyous anticipation is the apprehension of the physical changes to the body with stretch marks being one of the top concerns.
It is estimated that 90% of women are prone to developing them during pregnancy, caused by the breaking of elastic fibres under the surface of the skin because the body is growing faster than the skin can keep up with.
Pregnancy stretch marks commonly affect the abdomen, breasts, thighs, hips, lower back and buttocks, and may be a cause of anxiety to mums-to-be. Understanding their concerns, Bio-Oil strives to educate women on how best to manage skin changes during their pregnancy journey.
The skin specialist hosted a sharing session by pregnancy professionals – gynecologist Dato’ Dr. Zarul Azham and post-natal expert Zamzana Arifin – who shared their tips on how to manage stretch marks from pregnancy up to post-natal care.
Dato’ Dr. Zarul who is founder and head gynecologist of Putra Medical Centre shared that in addition to nutrition and exercise, the best defence against stretch marks is to ensure that the skin maintains its maximum elasticity throughout pregnancy by keeping it well-hydrated and supple at all times by drinking enough water and applying specially formulated topical oils.
Meanwhile Zamzana strongly believes that good post-delivery care is also important to reduce the stretch marks.
“It is important to observe the confinement period as mums have to let their body heal and be nurtured back to good health to ensure that they remain healthy as their bodies mature and age later. A good therapist also gives the new mother emotional support as she finds her footing,” said Zamzana.
The event took a fun twist with the appearance of award winning actress, Nadiya Nisaa, who is expecting her second child in August. The actress who will be featured in Bio-Oil’s new stretch marks campaign in a series of web episodes on www.sinar.tv shared her personal journey on motherhood and her experience with Bio-Oil. “The itchiness really hit when my belly began growing bigger during my second trimester but Bio-Oil helped keep my skin moisturised, relieving the dryness and itchiness. I am a big fan of Bio-Oil’s light texture as it absorbs quickly into my skin without leaving any greasy feel. I like applying it after my bath which I do twice daily over my belly and also over the stretch marks areas from my previous pregnancy. I feel that it also improves the tone and appearance of the old marks,” said Nadiya, who was introduced to Bio-Oil during her second pregnancy.
A study revealed that 100% of its subjects showed an improvement in the appearance of their stretch marks (both old and new) after applying Bio-Oil for eight weeks.
Suitable even for sensitive skin, Bio-Oil is derived from a unique blend of plant extracts such as chamomile, lavender, rosemary and calendula oils; and vitamins A & E, as well as breakthrough ingredient, PurCellin Oil™, that helps skin absorb the goodness quickly, leaving it soft and supple minus the greasy feeling.
“Bio-Oil is a pregnancy essential as it not only improves the appearance of existing stretch marks, but is also clinically proven to reduce the risk of new stretch marks from developing. There are a number of women out there who are self-conscious of their stretch marks, which sometimes affects their level of confidence and self-esteem. As a skin specialist, this is where Bio-Oil aims to help expecting mums in the area of stretch marks management.” said Ms Low Hooi Wan, Bio-Oil’s Division Manager of Malaysia and Singapore.
For best results, massage in circular motion onto stretch mark prone areas from second trimester onwards, two times a day for a minimum of three months.
Bio-Oil is now offering expecting mums a limited edition promotional pack that consists of two 60ml bottles of Bio-Oil and a free Thermos mug at only RM69.90 while stocks last. The regular individual packs meanwhile retails at RM34.95 (60ml), RM58.25 (125ml) and RM79.45 (200ml) respectively and all sizes are available in pharmacies nationwide.
